In essence, a dual-clutch transmission comprises two strands or partial transmissions with various gearwheel pairs, two power-shifting clutches each of which is associated with a respective partial transmission, a drive input shaft and a drive output shaft, and interlocking, unsynchronized shifting clutches in accordance with the number of gears. In such a transmission the gears are arranged in alternation in the two partial transmissions, making it possible to preselect a gear in the load-free partial transmission while the drive torque is being transmitted by the other partial transmission.
A gearshift is carried out when the torque to be transmitted is transferred from one power-shifting clutch to the other so that the gears can be shifted while free from load, without traction force interruption and without stressing the shiftable gears. As a rule the odd-numbered gears can be shifted in one partial transmission and the even-numbered ones and the reversing gear in the other partial transmission.
From the prior art it is known, with vehicles having an automated transmission, to store speed threshold values in the electronic transmission control unit, such that a drive mode change from D to R or from R to D, which occurs for example during a parking or an un-parking process, can only take place if the speed of the vehicle is below the speed threshold concerned. This is intended to avoid mechanically damaging the transmission.
If a change of direction through 180° while driving rapidly in reverse is desired, i.e. a so-termed evasive manoeuver, it is thus disadvantageously not possible to engage the drive mode D. This can result in critical situations if it is necessary to carry out an evasive manoeuver for safety reasons.